Last Flight Out
by Eagle2
Summary: 10 year old Tyler Matheson knows that together, his family can survive anything. But when the Cylons attack Caprica, he and his parents are forced to make a decision that may seperate them forever.
1. Duck & Cover

"_Cowboy, toaster on your six_!" the tense voice of his flight leader snapped in Tyler's headset. Heart pounding, the young Viper pilot glanced behind him and swore. A bloodthirsty Cylon raider streaked towards him cannons blazing. Rounds struck the hull of his Viper Mark II.

"I see 'em!" he hollered. Tyler rolled inverted and dove beneath the massive flight pod of Battlestar _Victorious_, her point defense guns exploded around him, buffeting his tiny ship with the shockwaves. The young pilot gritted his teeth. Just one of those lethal rounds could shred the Viper into confetti. "Come on, baby. Hold together."

Tyler spun his plane in a stomach-wrenching spin, aiming his cannons at the raider. His thumb punched the red button on his stick. Instantly the enemy machine ceases to exit; along with the killer robots inside. "That's a kill!"

He looked around at the raging battle. The toasters came out of nowhere with three basestars, spacing five hundred raiders within a matter of seconds. Already half of his viper squadron had been dusted. _Victorious_ couldn't Jump as she was buying time for a damaged cruiser to repair her FTL drive. Tyler and his wingmates were forced to play defense. _Frak, we can't keep this up forever._

"Red squad, I got a dozen raiders picking on our wounded duck," Tyler declared. The chrome-heads were in a particularly bad mood today. Firewalling his throttles, he was pinned in his seat by the inertia. "On me!"

Tyler flew full speed into the fray, one raider after another fell to his guns. The viper shuddered from a near miss and he ignored the sweat dripping down his face. _Yep, I'm that good_!

No sooner had see thought this then a direct hit pitched his viper end over end. The stick wrenched itself from his grip. All of his instruments went wild. "Krypter, krypter, krypter, I'm hit! I'm hit! Red 3 punching out!"

The last thing he ever saw was a blinding flash of white light….

"Frak!" Tyler Matheson, age 10, mumbled under his breath at the 'Game Over' message on his TV screen. _Viper Squadron_ was his favorite video game but he could never, no matter how hard he tried, get past level 7. The little boy shook his head in frustration.

"Did you just say what I thought you said?" Tyler looked up at his mom, Kendra standing behind him. Like her son, she had flame-red hair and a lithe, athletic build. Her eyes narrowed slightly in disapproval. Tyler smiled his best Innocent Little Boy smile.

"Of course not, Mother," he said in as sweet a voice as possible. Mom gave him a long look and knelt down next to him.

"Just remember little mister," she warned, "I have soap and I'm not afraid to use it." She punctuated this with a poke of her finger in his chest. Tyler's stomach soured as he recalled his last mouth-washing. Not an experience he wanted to repeat. Finally they both laughed.

"I'm done anyway, gonna go ride my bike," Tyler said. Mom had reset the TV and began channel surfing. He was just about to leave when an image of a battlestar caught his eye. He quickly backpedaled. Battlestars were the coolest ships ever! Giant warships that kicked Cylon butt in the last war.

"…_the last serving War era Battlestar, _Galactica_, is being decommissioned and converted into a museum dedicated to the conflict in which she bravely served. The ceremony will be overseen by Secretary of Education Laura Roslin and the last commanding officer of _Galactica,_ Commander William Adama, himself a decorated veteran of the war against the Cylons_…"

"Was that the ship you and Dad were on?" Tyler asked. Kendra and his Dad, Brett, were both former Colonial Fleet Viper pilots. He'd grown up hearing exciting stories of the flying days. They fascinated him no matter how many times he heard them. Kendra smiled.

"No, we flew off the _Valkyrie_," she said, "but we did serve with Commander Adama. Sometimes I still miss those days. Believe me, there is nothing else in the Twelve Worlds as cool as flying a Viper, like strapping your butt to the end of a bullet."

_Someday that'll be me, riding fire in a Viper_. That was his dream, to fly off a battlestar and fight Cylons if they ever came back. It would be like all those video games come to life. All the danger and excitement a boy could ever want.

"Like that time you fought Tauron pirates?" Tyler asked. That was his favorite story. His father always told it best. Kendra nodded with a cocky grin just like the one she wore in the photo on the wall, of her and Dad clad in flightsuits standing next to a Viper mark VII. They looked like movie stars.

"I'll tell you all about it if you help me outside?" Brett Matheson appeared suddenly in the door wall. He brushed the sweat off his lean, tanned face. His brown hair was damp with sweat. It was already a warm day outside.

Tyler rushed outside. Their backyard in Olympic Heights was huge with leafy locust trees and a tall hill in the very back, on a clear day you could actually see the skyscrapers of Caprica City way in the distance.

"What about the pirates, Dad?" Tyler begged as he bent down to pick up the branches blown down by a thunderstorm last night. His father grinned and shook his head.

"Taurons had a small pirate base near Heracles' Moon. Taurons loved to push their luck with Fleet Command. So they call us in," Brett explained. Tyler stopped picking and stared at him, eyes wide.

"Were you scared?" he asked.

"Terrified," Brett replied, "but we had one thing those pirates didn't: Bill Adama calling the shots. In seconds they were on us; missiles and cannon shells zooming every which way, fireballs all around us. I lined up on this one ship and pulled the trigger-"

A brilliant, searing, blinding flash of light interrupted him. The faraway skyscrapers of Caprica City vanished behind the orange-white flash. Tyler threw an arm in front of his face. He heard Dad gasp. He blinked away the after-image and nearly fell down: towering over the buildings like Mars himself was a gigantic, black mushroom cloud. It billowed higher and higher into the blue sky. _What the frak_?

"Lords of Kobol!" Brett gasped just as a second cloud erupted to the east. Tyler swore he felt the ground under his shoes rumble. This could not be happening! It just couldn't!

"Dad?" Tyler's heart pounded like it would burst from his chest. He wanted to run and hide but his legs refused to move. Kendra raced outside, staring in horror at the mushroom clouds. Her face was pale as a sheet.

"It's the Cylons, has to be!" she said in a bare whisper. Dad blinked and snapped into action.

"Get in the basement, now!" Without a word, Kendra scooped up Tyler and they rushed back inside and down into the basement, locking the door behind them. Even down here, he could still hear the demonic howl of an air raid siren. It was like a nightmare.


	2. Apocalypse Now

Tyler sat sweating in his basement. From outside he could still hear the howling of the air raid siren. Had he really seen two nuclear explosions over Caprica City? They had not looked real against the clear blue sky. _It can't be real! It's not real_! Maybe it was just an accident. Maybe nobody had been killed.

But it was real. As he sat on the sofa wrapped in Mom's arms, Dad had switched on the news. On Cap 5, a newsman worked amidst a station in chaos. People ran frantically back and forth behind him and static fuzzed the screen. The man was on the verge of panic.

"…_confirmed….confirmed reports now that Caprica City has been nuked. No word yet on how many people may have been killed but over 7 million people live in C-City. We have reports of nuclear explosions on the colonies of Virgon, Picon, Aerilon and Geminon…_" Static washed out the screen. A sharp pain jabbed Tyler's stomach, as if he had been stabbed with an icicle. This was real. And there was nowhere to run.

"_Uhh, I have just been informed that Colonial Fleet HQ on Picon has been destroyed by a nuclear detonation. Admiral Vincent Nagala has assumed command of the Fleet aboard the Battlestar _Atlantia. _There is no doubt now that The Twelve Colonies are under Cylon attack. I-I repeat, we are under Cylon nuclear attack._" The newsman touched his earphone and looked off screen. "_To anyone who can see me right now, I am begging you to leave! Run into the hills! Find any spaceship that can leave Caprica! Get off this planet before _-" Suddenly the entire screen went white and turned to static.

"I don't wanna die!" Tyler moaned with tears rolling down his cheeks. He had never been this frightened in his life. Not even when that dog chased him in the park, or when George Heckler, the school bully, threatened to beat him to a bloody pulp. That was nothing compared to this.

Brett gently took Tyler's chin in his hand, looking into his eyes. "Tyler, you're not going to die, Mom and I won't let anything happen to you. As long as you're with us everything's cool, Okay?" He hugged his Dad tightly, some of his terror melting away. _What would I do without them_?

"What do we do?" Kendra finally asked, her gentle face now as hard as steel. "It's going to be sheer madness out there pretty soon." Brett sighed.

"The spaceports've probably already been hit," he replied, "that Marine airbase at Cobb's Point could still be running." Tyler stared at him, a cold feeling spreading through his guts. Going out there was the last thing he wanted to do. What if the Cylons found them?

"B-but the Cylons are out there!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Kid, we have to, it's not safe here anymore-" Dad began but Tyler shook his head and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"No, I won't go!" Mom took hold of Tyler's hands, capturing his full attention.

"Listen," her voice was ice cold and his eyes widened. "Dad and I need you to be a soldier right now. A brave boy who does what he's told. Can you?" Tyler gulped. His mother _never_ talked to him like this. She sounded like a different person. Like a Colonial warrior. _Like Commander Adama_. _ I bet he never gets scared. _ He pushed away his tears.

"Like Commander Adama?" Tyler said at last. Kendra smiled and stroked her fingers through his hair. "Do you think he's out there fighting?" Dad squeezed his shoulder.

"If he is, those toasters are in deep, dark trouble. Even in an old bucket like _Galactica_, the Old Man'll kick some major enemy butt," Brett declared.

"Tyler, go pack your duffel bag, okay?" Mom instructed, "pack like your-"A sound like someone banging on a sheet metal with a hammer made her stop in midsentence. Tyler knew that sound. It was gunfire. Dad sneaked over to the small basement window. He swore aloud.

"Cylon centurions, coming this way!" he whispered. Tyler's heart stopped. _Gods, they're here_! _This isn't a video game. They're gonna kill us_! More shooting and screaming almost made him vomit. Brett yanked a pistol out of a desk drawer.

"Kendra, get Tyler outside, I'll stall them!" Dad snapped. He dropped to one knee and aimed his gun at the basement door. A crashing noise from upstairs and the clank of servos meant the Cylons were in the house.

"They'll frakking kill you!" Kendra shouted.

"Out!" Suddenly the basement door was ripped off its hinges. Tyler caught just a glimpse of a shiny, chrome centurion, its red eye light pulsing back and forth. Its arms tipped with gun barrels. Then Mom shoved him outside. Gunfire exploded from inside.

Dad catapulted out the door an instant later. He grabbed Tyler's skinny arm and took off at a full speed run. They dashed for the woods behind the house. Bullets sang past his head and he heard that terrible clanking sound. The boy glanced back. Two Cylons charged after them, arm rifles blazing.

"Run! Keep frakking running!" Brett screamed. Tyler tripped but kept running. He wasn't scared. He was too terrified for that. Any second he expected to feel bullets slashing into his back. _I'm only 10 years old_! _I don't wanna die_!

His Dad killed one centurion and fired at another; the bullets bounced off its chest armor. Dad's gun suddenly went _click_. That sound was more deafening than all the gunfire. It meant they were dead meat. Two more metal monsters emerged from the shadows to surround the humans, preventing an escape. They were trapped. _They're gonna shoot us_! _We gotta get away_! The machines came even closer, weapons trained on the family.

"No sudden movements, stay very still," Brett said. He took a step back raising his hands. Kendra pushed Tyler behind her. He stared at the robots with wide eyes. They looked nothing like the Cylons he saw on TV and in school. They were lean, angular and sharp looking.

"We are unarmed," Brett said to the centurion, "do you understand me? We are not a threat to you." _It doesn't talk like the old ones did_. _Did it even hear him_? The robots herded them into a tight circle. One laid its metallic hand on his father's shoulder and forced him to kneel.

"No!" Tyler screamed. Another machine grabbed Kendra and shoved her to the ground. She pulled him down too, wrapping an arm around her son. He literally quaked with terror.

"Please, no!" Brett hollered, "Let my family go! They can't hurt you!" The Cylon stepped back. Its arm rifles chambering rounds. One aimed its weapons straight at Tyler's head.

"For the Gods' sakes, don't kill our son!" Kendra screamed, "he's a little boy!" Tyler stared at his robot executioner. Its remorseless metallic face stared blankly back at him. _It doesn't care it kills a kid. Frakking Cylons_! Anger burned through his entire body. He spat directly in the thing's face.

"Go to Hell!" A _thunk_ sound made him turn as a small cylindrical object landed right next to him. Tyler barely heard Dad holler as he was deafened and blinded at the same time. His vision went white and his head spun.

"You alright kid?" a flat, distorted voice warbled. Tyler slowly opened his eyes to the stony face of a Colonial Marine sergeant. He had deep blue eyes and a cigarette clamped in his teeth. The man pulled Tyler to a sitting position. The Cylons were all dead. Another Marine was checking out Dad.

"I-I-I can't hear," Tyler said, his own voice sounding hollow, like the bottom of a well. Mom rubbed his back.

"That's okay, it'll pass," she said, "a flashbang grenade can mess you up good." The two Colonial soldiers introduced themselves. Lieutenant Elkins, who was very thin and looked young for his rank was in charge. Under his black helmet, his green eyes looked around constantly.

"We're Fire team Whiskey, 4th Battalion, 7th Marines. What's left of it anyhow. My team was holding an evac route on Highway 29. Frakking toasters called in raiders. Cut our unit to ribbons." Elkins explained.

"Saw you folks having a tea party with the clankers and invited ourselves," Sergeant Gatwick quipped, "hope you don't mind."

"Thanks the Gods for Marines!" Brett declared, "we saw C-City get nuked. Where's the President?" Elkins sighed.

"President Adar is dead," he said, "they're all dead; President, VP, the Quorum, Joint Chiefs…all of 'em. Toasters hacked our whole defense network. Shut down the Fleet. It's burning in space." Tyler looked up at Dad, searching his eyes for reassurance. His stomach was tying painful knots. Brett squeezed his hand.

Kendra finally stepped forward. "Please, you're scaring our son." Tyler stared at the two Marines. They looked ten feet tall in their bulky armor and big boots. He couldn't help but feel intimidated. _Will I ever be that tough_? _Or that tall_?

"So it's just you two? What can two guys do?" The words came out before he could stop them. Sergeant Gatwick squatted down next to him, holding out his rifle.

"Hey, what's this look like?" He demanded.

"A rifle?" Gatwick ruffled his hair.

"That's right, little guy, a marine and his rifle, deadliest weapons system in the history of war. So long as I'm alive, we got a chance. Understand?" Tyler grinned. The sergeant was scary but he made Tyler feel safe at the same time.

"Let's get moving before the toasters come back," Elkins said, "looks like we gotta play escort to some Fleet pukes, as usual." Mom and Dad laughed.

As they walked away, Tyler fell in beside his father. Brett looked down at his son. "Did you really tell that Cylon to go to Hell?"

Tyler shrugged, "it sounded like what Commander Adama would say. I'm sick of being a scared little boy."


	3. The Raptor

The tiny group of human survivors moved tactically into the wooded countryside outside Olympic Heights. None of them spoke so the Cylons wouldn't hear them. Tyler stepped as quietly as he could, avoiding twigs and crunchy leaves. He froze at every flicker of movement or sound.

He hoped they reached the air base quickly. Tyler tried not to look at the hideous mushroom clouds billowing on the horizon. Another one appeared every few minutes. They still did not look real. Were it not for the wind on his face and the sweat burning down his back, he might have thought this really was a nightmare.

"You doin' okay, little man?" Sergeant Gatwick whispered. Tyler looked up at the Colonial soldier and smiled. _Nothing can hurt us with these guys around. _He looked at Gatwick's rifle, his hands itched to hold it and blast the hell out of a Cylon.

Suddenly, Lieutenant Elkins stopped and held up his fist. Tyler stopped and went down to one knee like Gatwick did. His heart thudded in his chest. Then he heard it: the roar of an engine. A shadow flowed like black ink over the forest; a ship flying low over head.

"Raider," Elkins announced, scanning with his binoculars. "I don't think it saw us." Tyler sighed in relief and glanced at his Mom and Dad. Brett flashed him a confident grin while Kendra still had that steely look. It scared and impressed him at the same time. His mother was always so warm and tender and happy. He never imagined she had this other side. No wonder she made a great Viper pilot.

"Move out," the Lieutenant said, "let's cross this road quick-like." Tyler barely took a step forward when Gatwick suddenly grabbed him and pulled him back down, jumping on top of him. But before he could ask why, bullets whistled through the air.

Tyler clamped his hands over his ears. The shooting came from everywhere and nowhere. A small tree was blown to shreds, raining bark down on him. Gatwick lifted his rifle, his other arm wrapped around Tyler's waist. He could feel the Marine's heart pounding.

"Where's it coming from, Sarge?" Elkins hollered. A glint of chrome caught Tyler's eye.

"Over there!" Three clankers hidden by the trees strafed them with high-caliber fire. Bullets plucked at Tyler's shirt. Dirt clods popped all around him.

Kendra fired at one centurion and it went down in a metal heap. Tyler's own screams were silent to his deafened ears. His video games were _nothing_ like this. _So, this is war_. _It's too loud_!

"Frag out!" Gatwick called and hurled a grenade at the centurions. It exploded with a shower of dirt, grass and metal. The last Cylon robot charged them, arm rifles blazing. Bullets bounced off its heavily armored torso.

"I can't get a frakking shot!" Brett shouted. A scream froze Tyler's blood. Lieutenant Elkins fell to the ground, blood pouring from his chest. He just stopped moving. _No! He can't be dead_!

"El-Tee!" Gatwick shouted. The Marine took aim but bullets struck him in the arm. His rifle went flying and landed right next to Tyler. His terror numbed by rage, he picked up the gun. It was very light. His finger found the trigger.

"Tyler, no!" Mom screamed. He pulled the trigger. The three-round burst bounced off the Cylon's chest plate. It turned and stared directly at him. Gatwick tackled him. Dad seized the opening and shot down the robot. It was over just like that.

Kendra rushed over and grabbed him in a strong hug. "What were you thinking?"she breathed, "it could've killed you, that was so stupid!"

"Sergeant?" Brett said from where he knelt next to Elkins' motionless body. Gatwick sighed and removed the officer's dog tags. Tyler looked at his Mom.

"Is he dead?" Kendra nodded. Tyler angrily pushed away his tears. Hatred exploded like a bomb inside him. The boy stomped over to a dead centurion and kicked it as hard as he could, again and again.

"Frak you!" A strong hand gripped his shoulder. Sergeant Gatwick looked into his eyes.

"Elkins was a damn good Marine," he said, "and he went down like a Marine. How many of us get to go out like that?" Tyler nodded but the words wouldn't come.

Tyler didn't look at Elkins' body as he walked away but he knew the man's face would haunt his nightmares for a long time. How many of them would die before all of this was over? _Lords of Kobol, I pray that you keep us all safe. I can't live without my Mom and Dad; and Sergeant Gatwick acts all mean and tough but he's really very nice. Please protect him too_.

Walking on, the forest soon gave way to rolling green hills and leafy trees. Six mushroom clouds now loomed like ancient war gods. Some were so close that Tyler actually heard the explosions.

They were now joined by dozens of frightened people. Many wore only their pajamas and Tyler saw one man on crutches and another clutching some books. Tyler even saw a handful of kids, their eyes sad and frightened. Sergeant Gatwick asked about Cobb's Point.

"Cobb's Point?" one man scoffed, "toaster's got it, man. It's a cinder now." Tyler looked at his Mom and Dad, insides tightening again. _This keeps getting worse_. Shouting rose from the crowd, people began to point skyward.

"A ship's coming down!"

"Is it Cylon?" Sergeant Gatwick raised his binoculars. He grinned.

"Nope, a Colonial Raptor!" the Marine called, "let's go people!" The group raced towards the spaceship. Hope soared in Tyler's heart. If there was one Colonial ship, maybe there were others. _Maybe we're winning after all_.

It seemed to take forever to reach the Raptor but Tyler never slowed. At last, he climbed over the last ridge and there it was, a lone Colonial spacecraft, its two pilots standing outside. They stared anxiously at the mob of refugees, pistols in their hands. Tyler jumped back to avoid being trampled as the people charged the Raptor crew, shouting and cursing at them.

"Take us out of here, please!"

"C'mon you can fit twenty people on that thing!"

"At least take the children!"

One of the pilots, a lanky man with short brown hair, shot his pistol into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Some people retreated but many just got angrier.

"That's as close as you get, okay?" the pilot shouted, "let's just settle down here; settle down and no one gets hurt."

A man waved a handful of money, "I have to get to the spaceport! I'll give you fifty thousand cubits!"

"We're not taking money!" the tall pilot shouted back, "this isn't a rescue ship. This is a military vessel." Some of the bigger men surged forward and the co-pilot, a slim woman with almond shaped brown eyes, fired a shot into the air.

Tyler's own panic level started to spike. _They can't leave us here_! He looked up, praying that dozens of Raptors would suddenly land in the field to whisk everyone away. The snub-nosed little ship could only hold twenty people or so. "Mom, what's happening?"

"But what about the children?" Kendra called. The woman pilot nodded.

"All right!" she replied, "all right, children first. _Children_." Tyler looked around as parents hugged and kissed their kids, pushing them along. Fear flooded his whole body. _What_?

"Tyler, you have to go," Brett said. Tyler's heart pounded and he shook his head frantically. _This can't be happening_.

"No!" he shouted, "I won't go without you." Mom looked into his eyes, her steely mask beginning to crack.

"Tyler, listen to me," she said, "if you stay here you're going to die too." He was shocked to see tears in his mother's eyes. Tyler felt his own tears burn down his cheeks. _I can't_! _I'm a little boy_!

Sergeant Gatwick took him gently by the shoulders. "You're the bravest Marine I've ever known. It sucks but you got to. Mom and Dad and me, we'll stay back and fight. You, _you_ grow up, become a pilot, and pay these tin heads back. You get me?"

Tyler wanted to cry; to scream that he wasn't going and nobody in the Twelve Worlds could make him! _But_ _I'm a Marine_. _I stood up to a centurion_. _I'm not a little baby_. He gave his Mom and Dad a huge hug, holding on for as long as he could. Then, as if under remote control, he turned to leave.

"Tyler, wait," Dad said. He shoved something into Tyler's pants pocket. "Remember us." Tyler trudged over to the Raptor. He stared at his shoes so the pilots couldn't see his tears. He climbed into the spacecraft with a dozen other children. Any other time he would be thrilled to ride in a ship like this. _What do I do now_? _Where do we go_?

He sat in a daze, barely hearing the people outside hold a lottery to pick three more people. All the Raptor could hold and still take off. Neither his parents nor Sergeant Gatwick were chosen. Tyler saw the tall pilot stay behind, giving room for one more person. It was like being in a dream. It was all happening to someone else.

Finally, the woman pilot, who called herself Sharon, closed the hatch and took the pilot's seat. The Raptor's engines whined to life. Tyler stared out the viewport as they lifted off. One man leaped onto the ship's wing. He shut his eyes as the tall pilot shot him.

As they rose higher, Tyler searched for his parents. His heart sank as he saw them, walking slowly away, wrapped in each others arms, their heads down. Tyler turned away and slumped against the cold bulkhead. He drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hands.


	4. A New Life

Tyler sat in his tiny corner of the Raptor not moving or speaking, lost in his own miserable world. There were no tears, they would come later. Right now all he felt was emptiness, as if his heart had been replaced by a black hole. Even though he could touch people sitting next to him, he felt all alone.

_They're gone_. He had never been away from home for more than week or two. Mom and Dad had always been there for him. Losing his parents had been his one great fear, more than getting lost or kidnapped. Now here he was, living that nightmare.

He reached in his pocket and felt something, a photograph. He almost smiled. It was Mom, Dad and him at the beach on Canceron last Colonial Day. All of them wore swimsuits. Brett and Kendra grinned at the camera and Tyler flexed his muscles. What a great vacation that had been; nothing but sand, water, sun and great food on the most beautiful beaches in the Colonies.

Tyler turned it over. Now he did cry. '_Remember the good times. We'll always be with you_.' He stared at the picture for a very long time, lost in the memories.

It seemed like they drifted in empty space for an eternity. Nobody spoke. Only the occasional cough or the growl of the DRADIS scope broke the tomb-like silence. Tyler couldn't get Mom and Dad's faces out of his head. He saw them every time he closed his eyes.

"At last!" Sharon announced, "I have a Colonial signal and Vipers are inbound." Tyler stared out the window as a pair of razor-winged Viper Mark VII's fell into formation alongside.

Sharon followed the Vipers to a small fleet of civilian spacecraft: yachts, freighters, luxury liners, tankers and even a massive botanical ship all floated in the middle of nowhere. A tiny squadron of Vipers and Raptors stood guard.

Tyler saw they were headed for a small blue and white spaceliner, just like the kind his family had flown to Canceron; his first time off Caprica. This flight would not be as pleasant however. They flew inside the liner's massive cargo bay and landed.

A flight attendant helped Tyler down off the Raptor. Sharon talked with another Colonial pilot. Most of the passengers were led out of the cargo bay but something caught Tyler's eye. Something that made him completely forget his loneliness.

"Whoa!" he whispered. Behind their ship was an intact, brand-new looking Cylon War-era Viper Mark II. Painted in red and white markings, it looked like a museum piece. Tyler snuck over to it, staring at the lethal cannon barrels. "This is awesome!"

Tyler glanced around. Nobody came over to shoo him away. The ladder was still attached so, on impulse, he climbed into the fighter's cockpit. He put his hands on the stick and throttle; his feet reached the rudder pedals. He ran his eyes over the clunky gauges and dials on the instrument panel._ Just like in those old movies_.

In his mind, Tyler saw a Cylon raider streaking towards him. He mashed the firing button. The imaginary toaster blew up in a fireball. If only he could take this out for real. Dive into a swarm of raiders and kill every last one!

"Ready to launch?" the voice made Tyler jump a mile. A voice that belonged to the same pilot he had seen talking to Sharon. He was tall and thin, with brown hair, deep blue eyes and milky skin. The man smiled warmly. Tyler fumbled for an answer.

"I-I…I'm sorry," he stammered, "I j-just climbed in-" But rather than get mad the pilot held out his hand.

"No, it's all right," he said, "I'm Captain Lee Adama." Tyler shook his hand.

"Tyler Matheson, it's nice to meet you," the boy replied, "your last name's Adama?" Lee nodded and pointed at the nameplate below the plane's cockpit.

"This was my father's bird during the last war." Tyler read the name upside down: Lieutenant William 'Husker' Adama. He gasped. _No way_!

"My Mom and Dad are pilots, they served with Commander Adama," Tyler said, "I…they made me get on the Raptor. They stared behind on Caprica. I miss them." His voice caught and he took a deep breath. He didn't want to cry here. Lee put a hand on his arm.

"Tell you what," he said, "when we reach _Galactica,_ I'll do what I can to find them. Maybe they found a ship, you never know." Tyler smiled a little. He liked Lee already.

"Thank you," he said. Captain Adama helped him out of the cockpit. "That was very cool."

"Do you have anyone to look after you?" Lee asked and Tyler shook his head. _It's not fair. I want Mom and Dad_! He would give anything to just hug them right now.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, just call for me, okay?" Lee offered, "we'll be buddies." Tyler looked up at him, feeling just a tad less lonely.

"Thank you sir," Tyler smiled, "I'm gonna be a pilot one day. Just like my Mom and Dad." Tyler looked back at the gleaming Viper. _Yep, someday_.

The next few days were a blur as the small civilian fleet rendezvoused with the _Galactica_ at Ragnar Anchorage and made FTL Jumps into deep space. Tyler listened to Commander Adama talk about finding Earth, the last holdout of Humans in the galaxy. _But that's just a dumb legend, is it even out there at all_?

He had nothing to do aboard the little spaceliner that everyone started calling _Colonial One_ because Laura Roslin was now the Colonial president. Tyler spent most of his time playing with the other refugee children or simply stared out the window. He loved to watch the Vipers fly by on CAP.

Tyler sighed. On the flight to Canceron he'd brought a bag full of comic books, video games and his disc player to keep him busy. He'd listened to Mom and Dad tell flying stories. It all made the long flight go by fast. Now, every second seemed to crawl. Tyler kept turning to ask Mom something before realizing she wasn't there.

Out of sheer boredom, Tyler picked up a political magazine and started to read it. It was dry stuff and he didn't understand half of it but he found himself engrossed. Suddenly, someone plopped down in the seat next to him.

But sitting there wasn't a person at all but a dog; a long-eared, shaggy dog with tan fur and big glassy brown eyes. Its stubby tail wagged happily. Tyler smiled and reached out to pet him. He hadn't known there was a dog aboard. The dog climbed into his lap and licked his cheek.

"Hello, puppy," Tyler said, "what's your name?" The dog's license read 'Benny.' Tyler laughed and stroked the dog's soft fur over and over. He never had a dog of his own and pestered his parents about getting one.

"Did you lose your Mom and Dad too?" Tyler asked him. Benny cocked his head, almost like he understood the boy. He wagged his tail and barked as if to say, 'let's be friends.' _This dog is awesome_. "Okay, let's be friends. I need one."

The two sat together for over an hour. Tyler was so happy to have some to talk to, even a dog. Before he knew it, most of the afternoon was gone.

"Let's go for a walk," Tyler suggested. He headed through _Colonial One_'s passenger decks, with Benny leading the way. The smell of coffee and sounds of dozens of different conversations filled the air. _Benny's owner has to be here somewhere_. He tapped a reporter on the arm.

"Um, do you know who this dog belongs to?" The man pointed out two people huddled in a window seat. "Thank you." Benny raced ahead of him and Tyler followed.

"Hi, I brought your dog back," Tyler said, "he was keeping me company." The man and woman looked up and smiled at him. They were young, about the same age as Tyler's parents.

"Thank you so much," the woman said, "Benny's a lover, he can't help it. What's your name, hon?" She had curly blond hair and soft features.

"I'm Tyler Matheson," he replied. Tyler sat down in the next seat and the couple introduced themselves as Amy and Scott Creswell, journalists from Picon.

Scott pointed at Tyler's Caprican Buccaneers t-shirt. "C-Bucks fan, eh? They got nothing on the Picon Panthers, you know." The boy laughed and it felt great. He liked these people already.

"Yeah right!" he exclaimed, "C-Bucks slammed the Panthers 10-4 in the Worlds Series."

"In double overtime," Scott pointed out. He was tall and had short black hair and a slight paunch. Tyler slid into the seat next to them and Benny climbed into his lap.

"You came on that Raptor, didn't you?" Amy asked and Tyler nodded sadly. His whole story came out. He nearly cried when he told them about leaving his parents.

"But they're still alive," Tyler insisted, "I'll see them again. I just know it somehow." Amy and Scott looked at each other.

"So, you have nobody to look after you?" Tyler shook his head.

"You can stay here with us as long as you want, okay?" Amy offered and Tyler smiled. He spent the next week with the Creswells, laughing and telling stories about his Mom and Dad. For the first time since coming aboard, he did not feel lonely at all. Someone was there to tuck him in at night and when he woke up in the morning.

"Tyler, we got something important to ask you," Amy said one afternoon as she came back to their seats. The boy looked up from a book he had found. Both of the Creswells had very serious looks on their faces and it made him nervous.

"I was talking to the President today and I told her about you," Scott said, "so she wants us to move to the _Zephyr_; we'll have better quarters there."

"That ship with the big spinning thing on the back?" Tyler asked. Amy leaned forward to look him in the face.

"Here's the thing, hon," she said, "we'd loved to move _but…_we're only going if you want to come with us." Tyler looked from one to the other, his heart catching in his throat.

"You _want_ me to come?" Amy gave him a pat on the head.

"Of course, silly," she chuckled, "we want to keep you safe and warm and happy until your folks get here." A wide grin spread across Tyler's face. He was alone no longer. Benny stared at him his huge brown eyes, awaiting his answer.

"Sure, I'll come," Tyler said. Benny wagged his tail in celebration. Tyler was not sure who moved first but suddenly they were all wrapped in a big hug. _I've got a family again_!

That same afternoon, after registering Tyler with the Creswells, he held Benny's leash as he boarded the shuttle to the _Zephyr_. His new life was about to begin.


End file.
